• High safety scores in all categories for Lexus’ battery electric SUV 
• Lexus Safety System + detects risks and assists driver responses
• Robust construction and passive safety features ensure excellent impact protection

The all-new Lexus RZ has been awarded the 2023 five-star rating by Euro NCAP, the independent vehicle safety test organisation. Results released on September 6 show that Lexus’ battery electric SUV scores highly in all safety categories: 87% for adult occupant protection; 87% for child occupants; 84% for vulnerable road users; and 81% for the performance of its safety assist systems.

The organization highlights on its release that: “The Lexus RZ meets Euro NCAP’s expectations for all-around good crash protection for occupants representing a range of ages, heights, and sizes. The car is also equipped with the latest crash avoidance systems and comes with several new active safety innovations. The RZ is the first car that Euro NCAP rewards for Child Presence Detection technology under the latest 2023 rating regime (…) The child presence detection system, which warns when a child or infant may have been left in the car and is consequently potentially lifesaving in hot weather”.

The RZ has an inherently strong platform and body construction, with the battery unit integrated into the chassis, and takes care of passive safety with nine airbags as standard. Moreover, as all Lexus models, the RZ is equipped as standard with Lexus Safety System +, a comprehensive package of advanced safety and driver assistance systems.

In its latest, third generation, Lexus Safety System + benefits from upgrades and additions which increase the scope of risk detection. Key elements of the system include: 

A Pre-Collision System (PCS) with radar and camera, to detect oncoming vehicles including motorcycles. With third-generation Lexus Safety System +, PCS can now also detect cyclists during night time. And with the new Intersection Turn Assist feature, it can detect oncoming vehicles when turning, as well as pedestrians crossing the street.

Lane Departure Alert and Lane Tracing Assist both help keep the car correctly centred in its lane. In addition to reducing driving burden, this assists, when necessary, with steering operation. 

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control enables the driver to set the inter-vehicle distance and acceleration level. And with the new Curve Speed Reduction feature, the vehicle’s speed can now adjust automatically according to bend radius.

The Emergency Driving Stop System slows the vehicle to a stop within the lane if the driver becomes unable to operate the controls, for example because of sudden illness. While the system does this, it warns other road users by flashing the hazard lights.

To allow earlier activation of the Emergency Driving Stop System, Driver Monitor enables earlier detection of inappropriate driver states – such as distraction, poor posture, closed or unblinking eyes, or the movement of the driver’s head away from its usual position.

Proactive Driving Assist discreetly and gently assists the driver, most usually at lower speeds around town, through distance control between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and by providing steering and deceleration support in response to hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists, and parked vehicles.

Through such broad-ranging driver assistance technologies, Lexus strives to make vehicles such as the RZ among the safest on the road. For more information, please visit: Lexus RZ full press kit

Every time you get behind the wheel, the all-new Lexus RX has your safety at heart. It is constantly checking the traffic around you and the road ahead, on the alert for potential accident risks. When it detects a danger, it will warn you and, if need be, adjust speed, steering and braking to help you avoid an accident – or make the consequences less severe if an impact does happen.

The range and capability of its safety and driver assistance features are greater than ever before, thanks to the latest-generation Lexus Safety System +, a package that comes as standard on every RX model.

The quality of these technological advances has helped secure a top five-star rating for the new RX in the independent, rigorous safety testing and assessment programme carried out by Euro NCAP. They combine with the fundamental strength of the car’s construction and its ability to protect driver, passengers and pedestrians should an accident occur. The test scores show overall results of 90% for adult occupant protection; 87% for child occupants; 89% for vulnerable road users; and 91% for the performance of safety assistance features.

The car’s Pre-Collision System (PCS) now uses a combination of a radar and camera to gain a wider detection range and recognise more hazard types.  For example, when you’re making a left or right at an intersection, it can detect a head-on collision risk with oncoming traffic and crossing pedestrians. Response time has been made quicker and Emergency Steering Assist (ESA) with Active Support has been introduced, which instantaneously provides steering and braking assistance to help keep the car stable and within its traffic lane if you suddenly swerve to avoid an obstacle.

The PCS can detect sudden, unintended use of the throttle when moving at low speeds and suppress potentially dangerous acceleration. The Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert with auto-braking (RCTA) support safe overtaking and manoeuvring, while Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA), part of an extended safety package option, warns of approaching vehicles from either side at junctions with poor sightlines. The Blind Spot Monitor also plays a part in the Safe Exit Assist (SEA) function for the car’s e-Latch door opening system, which prevents doors being opened inadvertently into the path of vehicles coming from the rear.

It's only natural that drivers grow tired on a long journey, affecting their attention and reaction levels. Lexus addresses this issue with features that reduce the burden of driving and also keep track of the driver’s alertness.  The Driver Monitor uses a camera mounted above the steering wheel to constantly check the condition of the driver, recognising if they have lost concentration through tiredness or being unwell. In a world-first, the monitor is linked to the car’s active safety systems: if the driver fails to respond to alerts, it will suppress acceleration and bring the vehicle to controlled halt, activating the hazard lights.

Proactive Driving Assist (PDA) comes into play when driving at lower speeds around town. It uses the car’s front camera to spot hazards such as pedestrians about to cross or walking along the edge of the road, parged cars and cyclists. On long highway drives, the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) keeps a safe, set distance from the vehicle ahead, slowing the RX down to a standstill if necessary. It can now respond to voice commands, and will automatically adjust vehicle speed when you approach a curve, to ensure smooth, stable progress. The system can also adjust speed to prevent “undertaking” – passing a vehicle on the wrong side on a multi-lane road. Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Lane Departure Alert (LDA) both help keep your car correctly centred in its lane, while Road Sign Assist (RSA) repeats warning and command signs on major route in the driver’s multi-information display, with a link to the DRCC for easy adjustment when a speed limit changes. Night-time driving is also made safer with automatic headlight adjustment between low and high beam – an Adaptive High-beam System (AHS) or Automatic High Beam (AHB) according to the model specification.

While these features provide a comprehensive package – together with automatic parking functions – this is not the end of the story: over-the-air software updates allow for systems to be updated and extended seamlessly, with no need for the car to be taken to a workshop.

For more information, please visit https://www.lexus.eu/car-models/the-all-new-rx/world-premiere/

The significant package of advanced safety and driver assistance systems provided on the all-new Lexus NX have helped earn the mid-size luxury SUV a top five-star rating from the independent European testing group Euro NCAP.

Released yesterday, the test report shows the NX excelling in every category. It validates the quality and effectiveness of the latest, third generation of Lexus Safety System + fitted as standard to all NX models, together with comprehensive passive safety provisions and the car’s built-in strength to provide protection in the event of an impact. The results apply equally to the hybrid electric NX 350h and plug-in hybrid electric NX 450h.

In detail, the NX achieved an 83% score for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupants, 83% for vulnerable road users and 91% for the performance of its safety assistance systems.

Lexus has significantly enhanced the scope and functionality of its active safety and driver assistance systems so that they are able to detect a wider range of hazards in different driving scenarios. For example, the Pre-Collision System (PCS) benefits from upgrades to its millimetre-wave radar and camera systems so that it can now detect pedestrians and motorcycles in the car’s path. It also offers an increased safeguard when making a turn at an intersection, determining when there is a high collision risk with oncoming traffic, or crossing pedestrians and cyclists.

The NX was also the first Lexus model to adopt a new Emergency Steering Assist. This instantaneously recognises when the driver is swerving to avoid an obstacle – a pedestrian or stationary vehicle for example – and provides automatic steering assistance while keeping the car within its traffic lane. These and other improvements to the PCS have significantly increased its accident risk detection capability.

All the safety assistance systems tested by Euro NCAP received the top “good” classification, including the performance of the PCS, Lane Trace Assist, speed assistance/limiter and driver awareness monitoring.

While the NX meets the key criteria of Euro NCAP testing, it goes further to provide safe driving and peace of mind. For example, with the Safe Exit Assist, it marks a world first in linking operation of its smooth electric e-Latch door opening system to its Blind Spot Monitor; if the monitor detects traffic approaching from the rear, it will cancel the door opening to avoid a collision risk. Lexus Safety System + also provides Adaptive Cruise Control, with performance improved so that it can react more quickly to traffic cutting-in and follow a more natural line through bends, with speed adjusted in a way that feels more natural to the driver.

While Lexus Safety System + is fitted as standard to all European versions of the new NX, owners of higher grade models can further equip their vehicle with an optional Extended Safety Package. This includes Lane Change Assistance (LCA), which provides automatic lane change steering when the driver uses the turn indicators in highway driving, and Front Cross-Traffic Alert, which uses radar monitoring to detect and warn the driver of traffic approaching from either side when emerging from a junction at low speed.

For more information please visit https://www.lexus.eu/car-models/nx/. 

The all-new, seventh generation Lexus ES has achieved the maximum 5-star vehicle safety rating in the latest 2018 Euro NCAP test results, with an outstanding average score of 86.25 - one of the highest scores of all cars tested under the new, more stringent 2018 test regime including cyclist protection AEB.

The new ES integrates the latest version of Lexus Safety System +, the brand’s advanced package of active safety technologies, as well as outstanding passive safety credentials resulting from its ultra-rigid GA-K platform (Global Architecture-K) and 10 airbags as standard.

The latest version of Lexus Safety System + provides new capabilities and expands the driving scenarios in which it can provide added protection for driver and passengers and help prevent an accident from happening. The new features include daytime cyclist detection as part of the comprehensive Pre-Collision System (PCS), as well as night-time pedestrian detection. Lexus Co-Drive, combining Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and Lane Tracing Assist, provides SAE level-2 automated driving support – aiming at enhancing safety while the driver remains in control of the vehicle.

Order books for the all-new ES are already open in Europe, with first customer deliveries expected in January 2019.

Lexus Safety System + is available on 99% of Lexus models sold in Europe, in line with the brand’s commitment to ensure that the benefits of advanced safety technologies are not limited to high-end, high-specification models, but are made available across the board.

NOTES TO MEDIA

For more details on the all-new Lexus ES and its safety features, please visit https://newsroom.lexus.eu/the-all-new-lexus-es-a-higher-level-of-performance-and-sophistication/

For more details about Euro NCAP, please visit www.euroncap.com